Page 67 of The Shadow Gods

“What happened after?” Leo asked.

“After what?”

Her fingers traveled around my wrist, circling the bones and tickling my skin. She'd seen me pieced together—barely a man.

“After you met each other at the temple. How did you decide what to do?” she asked.

“The seal didn't show you that?” Achilles's voice was ragged and harsh.

“No,” Leo replied softly. “What did it show you?”

“Nothing,” I said. Achilles placed the pieces of the seal together, and the next thing I knew, Leo was holding my hand and we stood in the temple.

“It showed me part of a memory,” she considered, “and then brought us together.” Her face suddenly went white, and she stood so fast her chair flew back. Clapping her hand over her mouth, she sprinted toward the bathroom.

I was a step behind her, shoving open the door before she could close it in my face. She flipped the lid on the toilet, blocking my view with her body, and was sick. I went to her, not caring that she held up a hand to ward me off.

With one hand on her back to steady her, I pushed her hair behind her ears with the other.

Flushing the toilet, she groaned. “Sorry.”

Without looking at me, she went to the sink and turned on the water. Leaning down, she washed out her mouth, then stood in place, staring at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed, but her color was all off. It hadn't returned to normal since we'd left the vision.

I opened a drawer and found a toothbrush and toothpaste. Without a word, she took it from me and brushed her teeth. When she was done, she splashed water on her face and stared into the sink, droplets dripping from her curls. “Sorry.”

“I should have taken better care of you,” I replied. Hand on her shoulder, I eased her to stand and turned her around until I could square up to her. Her brown eyes had pinprick pupils, and I could see her pulse throbbing in her neck. It was easy to forget that Leo was human. Yes, she had some powers, but she had a heartbeat and was made of flesh and blood. Whatever else she might be, she was a young woman who wasn't immortal.

“It just came on quick.” She lifted a shaking hand to her head and pushed her hair out of her face.

“We don't know what these memories do to you. For all we know, this last one could have pulled your whole body into the past. We have to be more careful.” Because I didn't give a fuck about the rest of the world if she wasn't in it.

I'd lived through the loss of my family and son, but I hadn't had any choice. I didn't want to lose her. Surviving that...I didn't think I could.

The realization didn't say much for what kind of person I was. I'd let the gods burn this world to the ground if Leo wasn't in it.

I held her face between my palms and studied her. There had been a time when I’d decided her life didn't matter. It sent an arrow of panic through me, just how close I had come to snuffing out her light. Leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers. She gripped my wrists, holding me in place as I kissed her top lip, then each corner of her mouth.

Letting out a breath, I shut my eyes and dropped my forehead to hers.

“What is it, Hector?”

Gods, I loved the way she said my name. “I keep thinking about how close I keep coming to losing you, and it scares the hell out of me.”

I opened my eyes to find her staring up at me, a worried pucker between her brows. “We can't live our lives afraid,” she said. “No matter how scary this is. There's a reason we're doing it. I keep thinking about what it will be like when this is all over, and I can't, because I never believed someone like you existed for me.”

“It's because I shouldn't,” I replied.

The tiny curves to her lips disappeared. “Don't say that.”

“Leo,” I began, “it's true. I should have been dust when you were born.”

She squeezed my wrists tight. “If that's true, then I should have never been born. Don't you fucking say you shouldn't exist, because your existence is the best thing that ever happened to me.” Pushing me away, she turned her back on me. “It's an asshole move.”

It didn't matter if she agreed with me or not. There was a way the world was supposed to work. People were born, and then they died. It shouldn't have been up to the gods when those things happened.

Still, I hadn't meant to hurt her or imply that I wished she hadn't been born. It was all so complicated. What kind of husband and father would I be if I didn't wish to die an old man, surrounded by grandchildren? But to wish that meant I wouldn't have this chance with her. And she was more than a consolation or balm to my sadness.

“Leo, I'm sorry.”

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